July 16, 2010

Ok, we met in the lobby at 8:45am with our luggage which was transported to Osaka in a "little truck" rented for that purpose.

Everyone helped to load everything on the truck and we were on our way to Osaka. We caught the subway to JR Kyoto station and then we got on the "Bullet Train". Yes! I've been waiting for that. If you go to Japan, you just have to ride the bullet train! It's speed is like 190 miles per hour but it's so comfortable, it doesn't feel like you're going at that speed. It's incredible! Japan's technology surpasses what I've experienced anywhere in the U.S. Their transportation network is efficiently run, comfortable and convenient. Maybe the rail system could work in Hawai'i if more people support and utilize it to its fullest potential!

We arrived in Osaka and my thoughts of Kyoto having so many people quickly disappeared because Osaka has even more people than Kyoto. I had to pay attention because it's so easy to get lost in the subway. I was feeling overwhelmed with the crowds and the subway seemed to me like a maze.
Next stop was the Osaka Museum of History.

There were several things that stood out for me at the museum. One was the Naniwa Palace historic site. There were many artifacts found during construction which halted all construction on this site.

It was found that the area shown here was the site of the Naniwa Palace.

The building shown here is built on the site where the Emperor's residence once stood. Since this building was already erected when the artifacts were found it was allowed to remain. It took a collective effort by the people of Osaka to permanently stop all further construction at this site and because of their efforts the Naniwa Palace historic site has been preserved.

This picture shows a rendition of what it may have looked like in the old days.

Japan has successfully preserved their past while moving towards technological growth.

Secondly, the Osaka Castle, which by the way was stunningly beautiful could be viewed from the Museum. I had hoped to visit the Castle but we already had so much planned already. Maybe on my next trip I'll be able to visit there.

Although I don't have any pictures of it, there was a display of Bunraku, puppets. In our book, "Japan, It's History and Culture" it says that the dialogue and descriptions written for these plays were difficult to write because the stories had to be vivid and alive to compensate fo rthe inanimate creatures.

Lastly, I learned that Osaka was a City of Merchants or the "kitchen of Japan". They built canals which allowed accessibility for the merchants, much like Venice. Due to industrialization many of the waterways were filled in. A couple of waterways still exist today and I was quite fortunate to visit one of them at Dotonbori.

We're back on the subway and off to Tenjinbashi suji shopping arcade. Three miles of mom and pop shops!

We got to look around very briefly and then we went to Dr. J's favorite eatery, "Chigusa" to eat Okonomiyaki and Yakisoba, Local Food--Osaka style!

Yummy!

I liked the Yakisoba the Best~

Now we're off to Osaka New Hankyu Hotel to check in and our bags arrived here before we did, great service! The rooms are smaller than Hotel New Hankyu Kyoto but it's comfortable and clean. We have time for a short rest and will meet in the lobby at 5:30pm.

We have Chocolate covered macadamia omiyage and Hawai'i key chains for the Kansai University students and now we're on our way to Dontobori.

Here's the famous Glico Man in the Namba ward of Osaka.

This is where it's happening, every night in this entertainment district!

There are so many choices of places to eat, shop and just explore. It's quite exciting!

And.....

Just like Dr. J told us in class, the Host men were out and about working the crowd!

The banquet with the Kansai students was nice and they really impressed me. They are so educated beyond my expectations. They speak English quite well and not to mention other languages, such as French. They are well traveled and articulate. They like to have fun but obviously take their studies seriously and are focused as well.

This is Shinje, he's the funniest guy!

This is Ayumi, she's nice and comes from the Uwajima area. Smart girl!

This is Charlie, Yu, Travis, Kiyoko and Robbie enjoying dinner!

Here's some of the ono food we had. Hamachi, Sashimi,

Salmon, Soy beans with endless beverages.

We made our way back to our hotel. We walked 11,708 steps today. We have another big day ahead of us tomorrow~We're going back to Kyoto tomorrow for the Gion Festival! Good night!